What exactly is "stripping"?

The doc said he might stri me next week. What exactly is that? What does it entail? Does it hurt? TIA

Re: What exactly is "stripping"?

when they try to strip your membranes to progress dialation...I never had it done but, yes, I have heard it does hurt, and sometimes does not work to speed along early labor

good luck

Re: What exactly is "stripping"?

I had my membranes stripped and yes, it hurt and I bled afterwards. It's something the doctor does with his hand beyond trying to measure how dilated you are... my doc did it to help bring on labor.

ETA: In my case it worked. Or maybe things were going to happen anyway, who knows. But he stripped my membranes on Friday and I went into labor the following Tuesday.

Message edited 9/4/2008 12:06:44 PM.

Re: What exactly is "stripping"?

here is some info on membrane stripping:

the bag of waters is inside the uterus, and the bag is composed of membranes. The membranes tend to cling to the wall of the uterus until after the baby is born and the placenta is expelled. As the cervix begins to soften and open (dilate) at the end of pregnancy, the part of the membranes that was over the cervical opening can be felt through the opening when a vaginal exam is done. "Stripping the membranes" is done by inserting a finger between the membranes and the wall of the uterus to loosen the membranes from the wall. Sometimes, this stimulation of the uterine wall can help to start labor. Sometimes, the loosening of the membranes allows more water to collect in front of the baby which puts more pressure on the cervix and perhaps labor is stimulated that way. The procedure can be a little uncomfortable for some women. If the woman is truly near delivery, she often gets a contraction as a result of the procedure.

Usually the practitioner tries not to break the bag of waters when the membranes are loosened. Breaking the bag of waters commits the woman to delivery, perhaps before the baby is ready to come. Although stripping membranes is not considered a form of induction, the hope is that it is a form of stimulation of labor. Done too early, it has no effect, but if the body is nearly ready anyway, it can give a little jump-start to the labor process.